World Events
- June 2: The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II takes place following her accession to the throne on 6 February 1952.
"The coronation of a new sovereign is a ceremony of great pageantry and celebration that has remained essentially the same for over a thousand years."
Extract from the Royal website
- Death of Josef Stalin, Premier of the Soviet Union.
- The Korean War ends after 3 years of fighting and nearly 2 million casualties. The truce signed by the UN and the leader of the Communist delegation is not a peace settlement and the 38th parallel is established as a boundary between North and South Korea.
- Bonn Convention: Britain, France and the USA end their occupation of West Germany.
- French forces occupy Dien Bien Phu in North Vietnam.
- Franklin discovers the structure of DNA to be a double helix. Watson, Crick and Wilkins confirm findings.
- Hilary and Tensing are first to reach the summit of Mt Everest in the Himalayas.
- Lung cancer is linked to cigarette smoking.